Object number2009.12.4
Deuxième nuit d’été
Date1979
Artist
Jules Olitski
(American, 1922 - 2007)
CultureRussian, American
MediumAcrylic on canvas
DimensionsSight: 79 1/8 x 194 1/16 in. (200.98 x 492.92 cm)
Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Cabot Lyman, class of 1964
On View
On viewPeriod20th c
Classification(s)
Vassar Exhibitions
Exhibition HistoryPoughkeepsie, NY, FLLAC, Vassar College, "XL: Large-scale Paintings from the Permanent Collection," Jan 30 - March 29, 2015Label TextJules Olitski was one of the early painters associated with the Color Field movement, creating heavily textured abstract paintings as early as the mid 1950s. He first rose to prominence in the early 1960s when the direction of his work changed radically and he began experimenting with stain techniques in the manner of fellow painters Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis. In 1964 he began using a spray gun to create a veil of color on the canvas surface. He subsequently developed the type of painting for which he is best-known -- vast canvases covered with luscious mists of atmospheric color. He said that ideally he would like "nothing but some colors sprayed into the air and staying there." This sixteen-foot-long painting combines qualities of luminosity and density and subtle chromatic shifts in which he took advantage of the newly improved polymer and gel acrylic mediums. While his name is not as well known as some of his contemporaries, Olitski enjoyed enormous critical praise and acclaim and was celebrated by the influential American Modern art critic Clement Greenberg as "the best painter alive."
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